LuminosityLink RAT developer was sentenced to 30 months in prison

The United States Department of Justice announced this week that the developer of the LuminosityLink remote access Trojan (RAT) was given 30 months in a federal prison. The convict, Colton Grubbs, a 21 yo man from Stanford, Kentucky, admitted in court earlier this year that he designed, marketed, and sold LuminosityLink.

LuminosityLink is a piece of malware that could be used to record keystrokes, access the camera and microphone for surveillance purposes, download files, and steal login credentials. Remember everything can be hacked. In order to stay away from any threats related to the cyber world, we recommend the install of antivirus for Windows or antivirus for Mac on every device that you own, depending on which OS your device is running. If you are a company, it is also recommended to hire every year a specialized cybersecurity company that will run annual tests on your company’s network. These tests include penetration testing and ethical hacking tests;

Grubbs also declared that he was aware of the fact that some of his customers would use the software to remotely access and control computers without their owner’s knowledge or consent. The RAT was being sold via the luminosity.link and luminosityvpn.com websites, but the malware developer suspended sales via luminosity.link in July 2017.

Grubbs sold the malicious program for $39.99 a piece to more than 6,000 customers, and he also provided assistance on the use of the RAT for unauthorized computer intrusions. The Trojan was used in multiple cyber attacks that targeted victims from the United States and around the world.

According to federal law, Grubbs must serve 85% of his prison sentence and after he will be released under the supervision of the United States Probation Office with a three years probation. All the payments that total 114 Bitcoin valued at over $725,000 at this moment, were seized by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Keep in mind that our modern society is dependent on computers, mobile devices, and the use of the internet always stay safe and secured. We would continue to monitor this cybersecurity problem. Meanwhile, users should keep a keen eye out for any cyber attacks. Remember to use an antivirus for Windows or antivirus for Mac in every device that you own, depending on which OS your machine is running, If you are a company we recommend to hire every year a specialized cybersecurity company that will run annual tests on your company’s network, tests like this include: penetration testing and ethical hacking.